Wanda Jackson, “Let’s Have A Party”

The notion of a woman making a rock ‘n’ roll record in 1960 may have seemed downright scandalous to people who hadn’t yet gotten used to the music of singers like Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent. So when Wanda Jackson released the uptempo rocker “Let’s Have a Party” she helped open the door for women who were tired of letting the guys have all the fun. Jackson is retired today, but in 2011, after several decades out of the spotlight, Jackson returned under the direction of Jack White with a new album called The Party Ain’t Over. She discussed her career, and the song that really started it all for her, “Let’s Have a Party,” with Clash magazine in 2011. “The [rockabilly brother-sister act] Collins Kids had it recorded, and I worked with them in California on the Ranch Party show. They were doing it, it was their new record, and I thought, ‘Boy, that’s a cute song.’ So I learned it, and started opening my shows with it, and gosh, people loved it. It’s a perfect song for if you’re at a dance or you’re out for the evening – let’s have a party! And then I recorded it…